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Alexis Sanchez

LONDON. – Arsenal began this summer enshrouded in uncertainty.

The future of Arsene Wenger may now be resolved, but there remain huge question marks over the fate of several key players.

Mesut Ozil, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott have all been linked with moves away from the club. However, there is no case more critical than that of Alexis Sanchez. The sooner the Gunners can settle the Chilean’s future, the sooner they can set about their transfer business in earnest. Arsenal are one of the few clubs to have already made a signing this summer. Bosnian Sead Kolasinac has arrived on a free transfer from Schalke, and seems primed to inherit the left-wing-back role in Arsenal’s new 3-4-2-1 system. However, it’s what happens with Sanchez that will determine how Wenger allocates the rest of his resources.

The situation is complex. Arsenal’s top scorer has just 12 months remaining on his current deal, and seems to be stalling on the possibility of signing a contract extension. When the club do sit down with the player’s agent, it will not be an easy negotiation. This is likely to be the last major contract of Sanchez’s career, and he’ll be conscious his market worth has never been higher. However, Arsenal’s demotion to the Europa League is likely to be a greater stumbling block than the financial package – Sanchez appears to be more driven by silverware than salary.

If contract talks do not prove fruitful, Arsenal effectively have a straight choice: Allow him to run down what remains of his contract and leave on a free, or sell him now.

Their willingness to sell might well be dependent on the identity of the buying club. It would be agonising for Arsenal to lose their Player of the Season to another English Premier League team, but if Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain were prepared to offer north of £50 million, Arsenal might be tempted to take the cash in order to reinvest in a suitable replacement. – ESPN.